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Yesterday When I Was Young

Charles Aznavour

Learn Yesterday When I Was Young by Charles Aznavour with lyrics, line-by-line translation, and interactive vocabulary practice.

Learn this song interactively 30 lines, first 30 translated

About this song

Yesterday When I Was Young by Charles Aznavour is a great song to learn French through music. This page breaks down 30 lines with a clear, line-by-line translation, plus 7 key words such as young, yesterday, life. Singing along is one of the fastest ways to pick up natural pronunciation and make new phrases stick — far more memorable than plain word lists. Tap any line to open interactive mode and practice the vocabulary until you own it.

Lyrics and Translation

Line-by-line practice helps you understand the meaning and remember useful phrases.

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Yesterday when I was young

Yesterday when I was young

The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue

The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue

I teased at life as if it were a foolish game

I teased at life as if it were a foolish game

The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame

The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame

The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned

The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned

I always built, alas, on weak and shifting sand

I always built, alas, on weak and shifting sand

I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day

I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day

And only now I see how the years ran away

And only now I see how the years ran away

Yesterday when I was young

Yesterday when I was young

So many drinking song were waiting to be sung

So many drinking songs were waiting to be sung

So many wayward pleasures laid in store for me

So many wayward pleasures laid in store for me

And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see

And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see

I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out

I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out

I never stopped to think what life was all about

I never stopped to think what life was all about

And every conversation I can now recall

And every conversation I can now recall

Concerned itself with me, me and nothing else at all

Concerned itself with me, me and nothing else at all

Yesterday the moon was blue

Yesterday the moon was blue

And every crazy day brought something new to do

And every crazy day brought something new to do

I used my magic age as if it were a wand

I used my magic age as if it were a wand

And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond

And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond

The game of love I played with arrogance and pride

The game of love I played with arrogance and pride

And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died

And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died

The friends I made all seemed, somehow, to drift away

The friends I made all seemed, somehow, to drift away

And only I am left on stage to end the play

And only I am left on stage to end the play

There are so many songs in me that won't be sung

There are so many songs in me that won't be sung

I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue

I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue

The time has come for me to pay for yesterday

The time has come for me to pay for yesterday

When I was young

When I was young

Young

Young

Young

Young

Song Vocabulary

Key words from this song. Practice them in Langooo to remember them faster.

young

young

yesterday

yesterday

life

life

many

many

taste

taste

upon

upon

tongue

tongue